Frequently asked questions
This depends on how you've configured obsidian sync server to run.
If you installed this project using Install with Docker-compose, and specified the environment variable DATA_DIR, then the files should exist in the same folder you specified the variable to use. By default, vault files are placed in the folder obi-sync.
If you installed this project using Install with Docker or did not specify a variable for DATA_DIR, then the files are typically stored in /var/lib/docker/*
Some users may be running Portainer, which allows you to view your docker containers and volumes within a graphical user interface. Login to the portainer web admin panel and under Volumes, find out which volume is assigned to obsidian_sync, and copy the value Mount path. Open your File Explorer and go to that location to view your vault files.
This project will store your vault data in the following files:
📁 obi-sync
📄 publish.db
📄 secret.gob
📄 vault.db
📄 vaultfiles.db
This error typically occurs when you're creating a user with cURL and shows the following:
{ "error": "not sign up!" }
If you receive this error when creating your first API user, ensure the user did not previously exist.
If you are attempting to use the Obsidian Publish feature and receive the error:
Ensure you have provided the correct environment variable DOMAIN_NAME=api.domain.com.
If you provided the wrong domain name and need to change it, you must do the following:
- Edit
docker-compose.yml - Change
DOMAIN_NAMEvariable to correct domain. - Locate the project file
publish.dband DELETE it completely. - Restart the docker container and Obsidian.md program
Once back in Obsidian.md program, click Publish Changes 
button again.
You can also attempt to locate the root cause of the issue by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + I inside of Obsidian.md. Then on the right side, click Network and then re-open the Publish Changes interface again.
Anything listed in red is an error and needs to be corrected. Ensure that it is trying to fetch the correct domain from the Request URL. Anything listed in white and with a Status Code of 200 is properly connecting.
Make sure you are pulling the correct docker image.
You can also visit the Package Release page, select OS / Arch tab, and copy the pull command listed below linux/amd64
In the section above titled Install with Docker-compose, there are two ways to install obi-sync using docker-compose.
- Single
docker-compose.ymlfile -
docker-compose.ymland.envfile
This method involves creating a single docker-compose.yml file which will hold all of your settings for this project.
This method requires you to create two files which both exist in the same folder. The benefit of this method is that your SIGNUP_KEY environment variable will not be leaked in your docker logs and is slightly better if you are worried about security.
You can decide to use either one of the two options.
If using Portainer web manager for Docker, you can access the environment variables clicking Containers on left side menu, then click obsidian-sync in your list of containers. Then scroll down to the ENV section.
The .obsidian plugin folder and docker .env file may be hidden. You can configure your operating system's File Explorer show hidden files or use a terminal.
Linux: By default, this OS hides all folders and files that start with a period. To view these files in your File Explorer, press the key combination CTRL + H. You may be asked for your account or sudo password.
iOS: You may need to plug the device into a computer, then to access your .obsidian folder, go to Documents on iPhone, then go to Obsidian/<your vault name>/.obsidian.
The plugin and self-hosted server are dead simple. No data is collected. You can even run your sync server on the local network without access to the internet. All vault data is stored behind an encrypted password and inside a database file.
Huge thanks to @Aetherinox for writing the comprehensive documentation